Honestly, if you took a nap through the first two weeks of January, you probably wouldn't recognize the Nebraska football depth chart right now. It's been a whirlwind. One minute we're talking about building a legacy around a five-star legacy quarterback, and the next, that same quarterback is wearing Oregon green.
The departure of Dylan Raiola to the Ducks—and specifically the news that he might be sitting behind Dante Moore—hit Lincoln like a cold front. But Matt Rhule isn't exactly sitting around moping. The 2026 outlook has shifted from "The Raiola Show" to a "May the Best Man Win" competition that is surprisingly deep.
We aren't just looking at a few missing names. We are looking at a fundamental shift in how this roster is built. It’s less about the superstar savior and more about a gritty, portal-heavy rebuild that Rhule is betting his career on.
The Quarterback Room: It's Crowded Again
Let's get into the most talked-about spot on the field. With Raiola gone, the "savior" narrative is dead. What's left is a three-way battle that’s going to make spring ball absolute chaos.
Basically, you’ve got three distinct flavors of quarterback to choose from. First, there’s the veteran "mercenary" in Anthony Colandrea. Coming over from UNLV, he’s the guy with the most meaningful college snaps under his belt. He’s a senior. He’s twitchy. He doesn’t mind taking a hit to make a play.
Then you have TJ Lateef, the sophomore who actually had to steady the ship when Raiola’s fibula gave out against USC last November. Lateef is the only one who truly knows the rhythm of Dana Holgorsen’s offense from the inside. He’s got that dual-threat capability that Rhule seems to be leaning into lately.
The wild card? Daniel Kaelin. Talk about a weird journey. He left for Virginia, realized the grass wasn’t actually greener, and hopped back into the portal to return home. He’s a sophomore now, and while he might be third on the pecking order today, his familiarity with the program counts for something.
Oh, and they just added Tanner Vibabul, a three-star recruit out of Las Vegas who runs like a deer. He’s not starting day one, but he’s the kind of depth that makes a practice squad actually competitive.
Rebuilding the Trenches with Geep Wade
You can’t talk about the Nebraska football depth chart without mentioning the big guys up front. Donovan Raiola is out. Geep Wade is in as the new offensive line coach, and he’s already been busy.
The O-line was, frankly, a massive headache last year. Consistency was non-existent. To fix it, Rhule and Wade went hunting for size. They brought in Tree Babalade, a massive 338-pound tackle from South Carolina (via the portal), and Paul Mubenga from Georgia.
Current Projected Offensive Line Starters
- Left Tackle: Tree Babalade (Junior)
- Left Guard: Brendan Black (Sophomore)
- Center: Jason Maciejczak (Junior)
- Right Guard: Houston Kaahaaina-Torres (Redshirt Freshman)
- Right Tackle: Elijah Pritchett (Junior)
It’s a younger group than fans might like, but it's significantly more athletic than what we saw in 2024. The reliance on redshirt freshmen like Kaahaaina-Torres shows that the "youth movement" isn't just a catchphrase; it’s the actual strategy.
The Defense: New Coordinator, Same Intensity?
John Butler moved on, and now Rob Aurich is the man in charge of the defense. If you're wondering if the 3-3-5 is staying or going, the answer is "sorta." Aurich likes to be aggressive, but he’s inheriting a unit that lost some serious thump.
The defensive line actually looks like the strongest unit on the team. Williams Nwaneri is a name you need to circle. He was a massive get, and entering 2026, he’s expected to be a dominant force off the edge. Pair him with Owen Stoudmire, the Boston College transfer who committed just as the portal window was closing, and you have a front that can actually hold its own in the Big Ten.
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Stoudmire is 292 pounds of pure run-stuffing utility. He’s played in 35 collegiate games. You can't teach that kind of experience.
In the secondary, things are a bit more fluid. Malcolm Hartzog is back, which is huge for stability. He’s a senior who has seen it all. Beside him, look for Ceyair Wright to maintain his spot after a solid 2025 campaign. The real question is at safety, where we might see some of the newer transfers like Dwayne McDougle jump into the starting rotation.
The Skill Positions: Speed Over Size
One thing that stands out about the current roster is the shift toward speed. Nyziah Hunter led the team in receiving last year, and keeping him out of the portal was arguably Matt Rhule's biggest "win" of the offseason.
Hunter is the deep threat this offense desperately needs to keep defenses from stacking the box. Behind him, Jacory Barney Jr. and Dante Key provide a reliable rotation.
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The running back room is where people are getting nervous. Losing Emmett Johnson and Jamarion Parker hurts. Right now, it looks like Markus Nelson and Angelo Walker will have to carry the load, and they are young. Like, really young.
What This Means for the 2026 Season
The schedule is brutal. Indiana, Oregon, Ohio State, Washington, and Iowa. That is a gauntlet.
Most experts are pegging this team for 8 or 9 wins, which sounds modest until you realize how much turnover has happened. Success in 2026 isn't going to be about one guy's arm. It's going to be about whether Geep Wade can turn a group of portal transfers into a cohesive unit and if Rob Aurich's defense can stay in the top 25 nationally.
The Nebraska football depth chart is no longer a list of names waiting for a superstar to lead them. It's a collection of high-upside athletes and battle-tested transfers trying to prove that the "Husker Way" actually works in the NIL era.
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Actionable Insights for Husker Fans:
- Watch the Spring Game: This will be the first time we see the Colandrea vs. Lateef dynamic in person. Pay attention to who gets the first-team reps with the new offensive line.
- Track the D-Line Rotation: With Nwaneri and Stoudmire, the "Husker" defense is going to rely heavily on a four-man rotation to keep players fresh.
- Monitor the Running Back Market: Don't be surprised if Rhule makes one more late-cycle push for a veteran back if a graduate transfer becomes available after spring camp.
The era of the "savior" is over. The era of the "system" has officially begun in Lincoln.